It can be appreciated that bulk seed systems have been in use for years. Typically, bulk seed systems comprised of planting machines, such as row-crop planters and grain drills, are widely used in the agricultural industry to provide a mechanized and quick manner of dispensing seeds, grain and the like material over a tract of land. Such machines generally are provided with a plurality of dispensing units carried on a single frame for simultaneously dispensing the material over a plurality of uniform rows. Conventional planters without bulk seed, but with individual row hoppers, require seed to be placed into the hopper in limited amounts due to the inherent capacity limitations of the hopper. If all rows are to empty out at the same point in the field, then an equal amount of seed must be added to each individual hopper. As planter sizes have increased over the years, the inconvenience of adding seed to the hoppers in equal amounts creates an additional burden for the operator. As the planter empties out, some rows may run out of seed before others and the seed must be redistributed from row to row to use up all of the seed. This is time-consuming, when planting time is most valuable.
Conventional bulk seed systems require filling the seed hopper from some other container or package. The existing products must be filled using conventional bags (30#–60# paper bags) or some type of conveyer, auger or bulk transfer mechanism. Another problem with conventional bulk seed systems are once the bulk system has been filled, the contents must be planted or somehow removed or drained out to reduce the weight of the planter for transport or seed variety change. The process of refilling is both inconvenient and time-consuming. Most conventional bulk seed systems require a pressurized container. Other bulk systems require mechanically complex systems of tubes and augers, which may lead to seed damage from mechanical handling and abrasion.
In these respects, the standardized receiver for bulk seed containers according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of the quick and efficient loading of materials such as seeds into a planter with bulk handling capability.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bulk seed systems now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new standardized receiver for bulk seed containers and the like wherein the same can be utilized for the quick and efficient loading of seed into a planter with bulk handling capability.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that has many of the advantages of the bulk seed systems mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new standardized receiver for bulk seed containers which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art bulk seed systems, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a standardized receiver, a frame with a load-carrying capacity consistent with the weight of a loaded shipping container, and mechanism for distributing materials such as seeds to openers of the machine. The mechanism includes a manifold fitted with output pipe fixtures for the discharge of the seed to individual rows via flexible hose. The inlet of the manifold is on the top surface of the structure and aligned with the slidegate opening of the shipping container. Air pressure is created within the mechanism by a fan assembly. Airflow exiting the manifold carries seed from the manifold through pipe fittings, conduits, or hoses on to the planter rows. The receiver frame mounts to the planter frame above the mechanism. The receiver conforms to the general dimensions of the bottom of a shipping container. Appropriate constraints align the shipping container slidegate to discharge the contents of the shipping container directly into the inlet of the mechanism. The frame of the receiver is of sufficient integrity to support the weight of a loaded container as the planter is drawn over a tract of land. The receiver frame is fitted with appropriate guides to insure proper alignment as the container is loaded and unloaded from the receiver frame. A standardized shipping container rests on the receiver frame. A container is typically of sufficient strength and volume to carry seed to the planter. Once loaded onto the receiver frame, the slidegate is opened to discharge the contents of the container into the mechanism.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk materials containers such as seeds that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
An object of the present invention is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers for the quick and efficient loading of seed into a planter with bulk handling capability.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that does not require a pressurized container.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that utilizes a standardized seed shipping container already in use in the industry. The seed industry has made a substantial commitment to bulk seed handling and will continue to do so in the future.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that can serve as the seed hopper on the planter, and will allow for seeding directly from the shipping container.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that can be removed from the planter with the contents (seed) still intact with no compromise in the quality or integrity of the seed.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that can receive a fully loaded shipping container, with the contents sealed, or can receive seed from individual paper bags, which can be emptied into the standardized container one at a time.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers wherein the contents from a container are evenly distributed to all the rows on the planter for uniform planting and distribution.
Another object is to provide a standardized receiver for bulk seed containers that can receive containers, conforming to certain dimensions, from different manufacturers.
Another object is to provide a means for quick and efficient cleanout when changing varieties by using the air system to blow out seed remaining in the system after the seed load has been planted out.
Another object is to provide a means for splitting the distributing hoses with a “Y” at the terminal end to multiply the number of rows serviced from a given manifold configuration.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated.